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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22843054">Treacherous</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaiaSakura/pseuds/FaiaSakura'>FaiaSakura</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Foxhole Ficlets [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>All For The Game - Nora Sakavic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hijinks &amp; Shenanigans, Love Confessions, M/M, No Mafia, TikTok, title is from the taylor swift song</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:14:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,276</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22843054</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaiaSakura/pseuds/FaiaSakura</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It was shocking that Andrew let Nicky talk him into a game that involved confessing to crushes. It was even more shocking that Andrew technically goes through with it. </p><p>All Andrew was expecting after Neil found out about his feels was rejection, but with great risk comes great reward.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Foxhole Ficlets [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1461124</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>461</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>AFTG Exchange Valentine's Day 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Treacherous</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/thematicallycoherent/gifts">thematicallycoherent</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy Belated Valentine's Day! I tried to combine the prompts anything soft + high school AU for this fic, hope you enjoy. Shoutout to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumnalhogwarts">autumnalhogwarts</a> for betaing!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Andrew’s sigh was drowned out by Nicky’s cheering. Sometimes he wondered who the older cousin was and who the younger was.</p><p>Nicky had seen a video on TikTok the other day and insisted they all participate in the insipid teenage shenanigans involved in it, especially since Valentine’s Day was coming up—and wouldn’t it be so romantic to be confessed to just before the holiday?</p><p>Because of course having other people watch him confess his feelings to someone who didn’t feel the same way back was exactly how Andrew wanted to spend the drive from exy practice to everyone’s houses.</p><p>The premise was easy enough: while music was playing, one person would point at another, going around in circles until the music changed. Whoever was landed on at that point had to call the person they <em>like-liked</em>, as Nicky had put it, and tell them his feelings. Kind of like Duck, Duck, Goose but with less running and more emotional talk—both of which were activities Andrew disdained, but in this instance, he would have taken running in circles, if it were an option.</p><p>It was all so stupid because everyone knew that Nicky had his Perfect German Boyfriend he was returning to after he graduated next month, that Aaron had been dancing around the Not Actually Insipid Cheerleader for weeks, and that just because Kevin and Deadly Amazon Backliner were currently off, didn’t mean they weren’t going to be on again soon.</p><p>Neil never liked anybody and couldn’t even put forth more than a passing interest in anybody who wasn’t somehow involved in exy—which was kind of Andrew’s problem.</p><p>Nobody knew who Andrew liked and he would prefer to keep it that way, but he had caved to Nicky’s pleading puppy dog eyes at the last minute. The sound of betrayal Aaron—who agreed to the game only if Andrew would, on the not unreasonable assumption Andrew wouldn’t—had made had almost made this nonsense worth the time.</p><p>Nicky could bluster all he wanted to about <em>Valentine’s Day means there’s love in the air</em> and <em>let’s live a little</em>, but Andrew could tell he was secretly worried that the twins’ mutual lack of anything resembling a dating life was the result of poor socialization. He wouldn’t be able to help from an ocean away next year and increasingly fluttered about like a mother hen.</p><p>Besides, Andrew had a contingency plan in place. Well, a plan. Okay, he was relying on a semi-reasonable line of assumptions to keep him out of the fire of scrutiny</p><p>This had all led to some vacuous pop song being played in Nicky’s car as he drove everyone home today.</p><p>Nicky made a finger gun towards Kevin sitting in the passenger seat, who pointed with his thumb back behind at Andrew, probably while rolling his eyes.</p><p>Andrew made a thumbs up with his left hand and flipped it towards Neil, who waved in Aaron’s direction. Aaron poked the back of Nicky’s head and the cycle started all over again.</p><p>The first time the song changed, Nicky’s finger gun was pointed at Kevin. Kevin grumbled about what a stupid use of time this was but Andrew knew him well enough to know the chickenshit was probably relieved to have an excuse to call Thea Muldani, the senior exy player at their rival high school Kevin was in an It’s Complicated relationship with.</p><p>Andrew tuned out their conversation, drumming his fingers along the side of the car door and sneaking glances at Neil—not that Neil would have noticed even if Andrew full-on stared.</p><p>The sun had set just as practice was finishing, but Neil was trying to use the last vestiges of natural light escaping from beyond the horizon to continue studying from the Spanish primer he carried around and read from in his free time. His stupidly blue eyes, dark in the fading light but striking as ever, flickered across the page in time to the words he mouthed with unreasonably kissable lips.</p><p>Andrew often thought about kissing Neil’s lips, but it was a dangerous daydream that would only ever end in disappointment.</p><p>Neil sat an inch away from Andrew but could as well have been infinite miles away. Andrew wondered what would happen if he closed the inch that separated. Would Neil shift away, towards Aaron? Would he lean against Andrew?</p><p>Neil probably wouldn’t even notice.</p><p>Andrew took a mental step back from such a slippery slope of precarious and foolish thoughts.</p><p>
  <em>Tap-tap-tap-tap.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Tap-tap-tap-tap.</em>
</p><p>Kevin was on again with Thea by the end of his surprisingly mushy phone call—not that Andrew was paying attention—and the game was also on again.</p><p>Around and around the pointing went, like a merry-go-round with only slightly better music. There was a flash of panic as Kevin’s thumb landed on Andrew when the song changed but it didn’t escape the layers the apathy Andrew was always bundled up in.</p><p>It was okay, Andrew had a plan—one that relied entirely on factors he didn’t control, but a plan nonetheless.</p><p>Nicky looked back at Andrew with a beaming smile and asked, “So who are you calling? Which lucky girl is it gonna be?”</p><p>Andrew stared at Nicky. “The rules are I have to call, not that I have to tell you. Keep your eyes on the road.”</p><p>“Boo,” Nicky said, jeering lightheartedly as he turned back around. “I wanna know! Neil, make sure he’s actually calling someone.”</p><p>Neil had looked up when Andrew had been chosen as the next victim of the game and had yet to return to reading his book. He studied Andrew with a glimmer of amusement but made no move to be nosy as Nicky was asking him to be.</p><p>Actually calling was a reckless move, but blood was pumping faster and faster in Andrew’s veins as he pulled out his phone. It made him feel awake and alive—and part of him liked that.</p><p>Andrew had a shortlist of favorite numbers saved. It amounted to the people in this car and his foster mother Bee. He picked Neil’s number and called.</p><p>Putting the phone to his ear, he let it ring and ring and ring without paying it any mind. Neil wasn’t going to pick up. Neil’s phone was always on silent—true silent, with no vibrations—and it was in his backpack in the trunk, where nobody would see it light up.</p><p>Andrew snuck a glance at Neil, who blinked at him passively like a cat who cared for no one and nothing. That would probably change, soon enough, and not for the better. </p><p>Neil would see the missed call after he got dropped off at his house and whenever he finally checked his phone next. But at least Andrew was spared in-the-moment humiliation.</p><p>This was worse than how Andrew imagined riding a Ferris wheel might be but he had never felt a thrill like this before. All too soon, the phone was going to voicemail. </p><p>Andrew tucked his phone away. “No answer,” he said, with a drawl that invited challenges.</p><p>“Did you even call someone?” Nicky asked, turning sideways again to try glancing at Andrew.</p><p>“Eyes on the road.” Andrew let no emotion out and resumed tapping against the car door to forestall the trembling in his fingers that threatened to creep in. His deadpan eyes—which he may or may not have practiced in front of the mirror many a time—did not reveal the thunderous heartbeat only he can hear or the rush of adrenaline he was surfing on.</p><p>Neil would know, soon enough. <em>Neil would know.</em> But not now.</p><p>“Neil, who did Andrew call?” Nicky whined like he was eight, not eighteen.</p><p>Neil had looked back down at his book sometime between Andrew’s phone call and now. He didn’t look back up now as he said, “Don’t know.”</p><p>Nicky gave a dramatic sigh and attempted to go into what Andrew called Monologue #7: Unromantic Athletes before Andrew reminded him there were more people for Nicky to ensnare in his game.</p><p>The next round landed ridiculously on Nicky, who spent the remainder of the drive leaving a series of increasingly saccharine voicemails for Erik that only Kevin was blessed to be ignorant about the contents of, by virtue of not knowing German. Even so, Kevin looked just as relieved as Neil did to get out of the car at their stop.</p><p>Nicky realized his mistake as they pulled up in front of their own house. “Aw, we didn’t get Aaron to confess to Katie Kate,” Nicky said with a pout. “Or get Neil to finally reveal who he likes.”</p><p>“I said I don’t like her,” Aaron protested, but convinced exactly no one, especially not with the way his ears glowed red. Good thing Andrew didn’t have the same tell.</p><p>Bee greeted them all with a smile that Andrew tried to focus on—instead of the way Neil had beamed in delight during practice earlier, after getting a shot past Andrew—and almost succeeded.</p><p>Andrew definitely didn’t succeed in not running over all of the possible reactions Neil would have, once he noticed the missed call from earlier.</p>
<hr/><p>Today was not a Tolerate People Day. When it was one, Andrew would sit at the edge of the table bench during lunch and eat. Sometimes he would also read. Other times he would talk, mostly to Neil or Renee.</p><p>Not today.</p><p>Andrew bought his lunch as quickly as possible, avoided anyone who might care to follow him, and climbed to the top of the bleachers by the football field.</p><p>He planted his feet firmly on the ledge and told himself the tingling desire to escape was from the height, not from the fact that certain people knew how to find him.</p><p>People like Neil.</p><p>Neil clambered onto the bleachers and started eating his own lunch without a word to Andrew, but snuck glances that weren’t at all sneaky.</p><p>“Spit it out,” Andrew said, wanting to get his over with. At least his rejection wouldn’t be witnessed by the others.</p><p>“You called me,” Neil said. It was a simple sentence but a loaded statement. For all the secrets they’ve traded, a lot of them here on these same bleachers, Andrew still can’t read him well. Neil didn’t reveal anything useful about how he felt about Andrew calling him. </p><p>“Yes.” There was no reason Andrew to draw out his own suffering, not when Neil already knew.</p><p>“You hate me.” A bit of puzzlement leaked out from Neil’s voice. </p><p>“Yes.” Andrew turned to look at Neil and found him trying to study Andrew like a language phrase he couldn’t figure out or a math equation he couldn’t solve. This meant that, when Andrew said, “Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t kiss you,” he got to see Neil’s too blue, too pretty eyes widen like a startled rabbit.</p><p>Or maybe Andrew was the rabbit, with his fluttery fast heart trying to escape right out of his chest.</p><p>But neither of them ran. They didn’t so much as move, locked in a stare that might not end even when the lunch period did.</p><p>Neil broke the silence. “Okay,” he said.</p><p>“Okay, what?” Andrew asked, partly in shock that Neil hadn’t left yet. Every ambitious girl—and boy—in the school that had attempted to ask Neil out, or proposition him, or even talk to him about anything other than exy, Neil’s language of the month, or math, had gotten shut down, sometimes with brutality.</p><p>The treacherous hope in Andrew’s mind reminded him that Neil talked to <em>Andrew</em> outside of those things. But hope was a slippery slope upon which dreams would slip and fall.</p><p>“Okay, you can kiss me,” Neil said, making not one bit of sense.</p><p>“You don’t like boys,” Andrew said, certain that was the truth. </p><p>“I don’t like girls either,” Neil said. </p><p>Andrew’s eyes narrowed. “But you don’t like boys.” </p><p>Neil shrugged. “I like you.”</p><p>Where did Neil get off, saying such ridiculous words without so much as a twitch? “I won’t be your…experiment in sexuality,” Andrew said.</p><p>Neil frowned. “If I wanted to experiment, I would kiss Marissa. Or Jeremy. Or—”</p><p>Andrew hovered his hand over Neil’s mouth, a hair’s breadth away from his skin, to stop him from listing all the people Andrew already knew had been interested in Neil at some point. Neil’s doe-eyes blinked in innocence and he stopped. </p><p>“You like me,” Andrew said as he pulled his hand away. He was sure if there were any outside listeners, they would sound like a broken record. </p><p>Andrew was wrong about yesterday. This was an even greater thrill, like standing at the top of a cliff’s edge, staring into the void.</p><p>“Yes.” Neil nodded, possibly to reinforce that this was the truth. Not that there have ever been lies committed between the two of them.</p><p>One impossible thing had occurred. Why shouldn’t Andrew take a chance and jump?</p><p>“Can I kiss you?” Andrew asked.</p><p>Andrew was free-falling from that cliff’s unknown height. But he didn’t regret speaking, not when Neil was there to catch him.</p><p>“Yes,” Neil said, looking at Andrew with wide eyes.</p><p>Andrew wiped the sweat off his palms before he leaned in with a press of his lips against Neil’s.</p><p>Hope and those sorts of soft feelings were always going to be treacherous to Andrew, but he couldn’t help but be pleased by the result this time around.</p><p>They pulled back and Neil smiled in a way Andrew never thought he alone could be the cause for.</p><p>Andrew let a trace of his own smile slip out and leaned in for another kiss.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading ♥ All comments are loved, appreciated, and will be replied to! Btw, the TikTok video described in this fic <a href="https://faiasakura.tumblr.com/post/190379639586">is real</a>.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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